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The Yale Assure Lock 2 is one of the many smart locks that work with Airbnb. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Airbnb is expanding its smart lock integration, allowing the company to generate door codes from Yale and August directly within its app. This means more guests can easily find the code they’ll need to unlock their vacation rental, while hosts won’t have to worry about generating and sending new codes to every visitor.
The smart lock company Schlage became the first to adopt the integration after Airbnb announced it last year. Once a host connects their compatible smart locks to Airbnb, the app will automatically generate unique door codes that it will send to guests ahead of their visit. The codes will only remain active during a guest’s stay, as Airbnb will automatically deactivate them when they check out. Airbnb will also notify hosts when guests check-in and if there’s an issue with the smart lock, such as if it’s low on battery.
This feature is only available to hosts located in the US and Canada for now. It’s compatible with a range of smart locks, including the Yale Assure Lock 2 Keypad with Wi-Fi, Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Lever, and the August Smart Lock with Connect. You can view the whole list of supported smart locks from Airbnb’s website.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 is one of the many smart locks that work with Airbnb. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Airbnb is expanding its smart lock integration, allowing the company to generate door codes from Yale and August directly within its app. This means more guests can easily find the code they’ll need to unlock their vacation rental, while hosts won’t have to worry about generating and sending new codes to every visitor.

The smart lock company Schlage became the first to adopt the integration after Airbnb announced it last year. Once a host connects their compatible smart locks to Airbnb, the app will automatically generate unique door codes that it will send to guests ahead of their visit. The codes will only remain active during a guest’s stay, as Airbnb will automatically deactivate them when they check out. Airbnb will also notify hosts when guests check-in and if there’s an issue with the smart lock, such as if it’s low on battery.

This feature is only available to hosts located in the US and Canada for now. It’s compatible with a range of smart locks, including the Yale Assure Lock 2 Keypad with Wi-Fi, Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Lever, and the August Smart Lock with Connect. You can view the whole list of supported smart locks from Airbnb’s website.

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Gimme that excellent desk clock action while charging all the things. | Image: Nomad

Nomad is course-correcting from a small design blunder last year on its three-in-one MagSafe charging stand. Like its predecessor, the new Stand One Max for 2024 is a wireless multi-charger for a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and set of AirPods. However, now you can charge all of those devices with your phone in landscape orientation, allowing you to use Apple’s nifty StandBy mode for glanceable information like the time and weather. The new stand is also Qi2-compatible, and at $150, it’s actually $30 cheaper than the original’s launch price, which I love to see.

Other than that, the new Stand One Max (which Nomad calls “third-gen” to align with other models in its lineup, even though it’s only the second version) has a lot in common with the original. It comes in silver or black, includes a color-matched 6.6-foot / 2-meter detachable USB-C cable (but not the required 30W power adapter), fast-charges compatible Apple Watches, and is made from metal and glass. The new model weighs just a touch more at 1.9 pounds (versus the original’s 1.8 pounds), and that’s likely due to the base being about 0.75 inches longer to accommodate the watch charger’s new location, clearing the path for a horizontally mounted phone up top.

Qi2 may not be commonplace on phones just yet, with only one phone supporting it so far and some imminently launching flagships notably lacking it. But the dream is that one day, in a (hopefully) near future, chargers like the Stand One Max will enable equally fast charging of up to 15W on both Androids and iPhones — all with the convenience of magnets that lock your phone in place. Chargers that support Qi2 are already becoming pretty prevalent from a variety of brands, so if you’re going to spend some significant coin on one of Nomad’s fancy home multi-chargers, it’s nice that it’s also Qi2-capable.

Gimme that excellent desk clock action while charging all the things. | Image: Nomad

Nomad is course-correcting from a small design blunder last year on its three-in-one MagSafe charging stand. Like its predecessor, the new Stand One Max for 2024 is a wireless multi-charger for a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and set of AirPods. However, now you can charge all of those devices with your phone in landscape orientation, allowing you to use Apple’s nifty StandBy mode for glanceable information like the time and weather. The new stand is also Qi2-compatible, and at $150, it’s actually $30 cheaper than the original’s launch price, which I love to see.

Other than that, the new Stand One Max (which Nomad calls “third-gen” to align with other models in its lineup, even though it’s only the second version) has a lot in common with the original. It comes in silver or black, includes a color-matched 6.6-foot / 2-meter detachable USB-C cable (but not the required 30W power adapter), fast-charges compatible Apple Watches, and is made from metal and glass. The new model weighs just a touch more at 1.9 pounds (versus the original’s 1.8 pounds), and that’s likely due to the base being about 0.75 inches longer to accommodate the watch charger’s new location, clearing the path for a horizontally mounted phone up top.

Qi2 may not be commonplace on phones just yet, with only one phone supporting it so far and some imminently launching flagships notably lacking it. But the dream is that one day, in a (hopefully) near future, chargers like the Stand One Max will enable equally fast charging of up to 15W on both Androids and iPhones — all with the convenience of magnets that lock your phone in place. Chargers that support Qi2 are already becoming pretty prevalent from a variety of brands, so if you’re going to spend some significant coin on one of Nomad’s fancy home multi-chargers, it’s nice that it’s also Qi2-capable.

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The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 is an ’80s retro-future headcrab. | Image: Asus

Asus announced three new Wi-Fi 7 products today, including a tri-band ROG Rapture GT gaming router, a dual-band router, and a new Wi-Fi 7 USB adapter.
The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has a familiar ’80s retro-future look shared by predecessors like the quad-band GT-BE98, along with most of the same specs, including two 10Gbps and five 2.5Gbps ethernet ports. It also supports 320MHz channel bandwidth on the 6GHz band, which unlocks much higher throughput (although you’ll need a 2Gbps or higher connection to your ISP for that to shine).

Image: Asus
The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has seven ethernet ports.

Since the GT-BE19000 uses Wi-Fi 7’s multilink operation feature, you can connect a supported device to the 6GHz and 5GHz band at the same time for increased throughput, less latency, and more stability.
Asus’ other new router is the comparatively modest dual-band RT-BE86U. It’s Wi-Fi 7, so it can support multilink operation across the 2.4GHz and 5Ghz bands. It also has a 10Gbps WAN port for connecting to your modem or fiber ONT, along with four 2.5Gbps ethernet ports for wiring up your gaming PC and whatnot.

Image: Asus
The RT-86U, a dual-band Wi-Fi 7 router.

Image: Asus
Stick this in your PC and download with it.

Finally, Asus announced the ROG USB-BE92, an external USB Wi-Fi 7 card. It connects using USB-A or USB-C, and Asus says it should work with Windows 10 or 11 PCs out of the box — just plug it in and go. It’s an easy way to add Wi-Fi 7 to a computer once you’ve upgraded to a Wi-Fi 7 router, unlocking features like MLO for better stability and faster throughput.
Asus didn’t announce any release dates or prices for these devices.

The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 is an ’80s retro-future headcrab. | Image: Asus

Asus announced three new Wi-Fi 7 products today, including a tri-band ROG Rapture GT gaming router, a dual-band router, and a new Wi-Fi 7 USB adapter.

The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has a familiar ’80s retro-future look shared by predecessors like the quad-band GT-BE98, along with most of the same specs, including two 10Gbps and five 2.5Gbps ethernet ports. It also supports 320MHz channel bandwidth on the 6GHz band, which unlocks much higher throughput (although you’ll need a 2Gbps or higher connection to your ISP for that to shine).

Image: Asus
The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has seven ethernet ports.

Since the GT-BE19000 uses Wi-Fi 7’s multilink operation feature, you can connect a supported device to the 6GHz and 5GHz band at the same time for increased throughput, less latency, and more stability.

Asus’ other new router is the comparatively modest dual-band RT-BE86U. It’s Wi-Fi 7, so it can support multilink operation across the 2.4GHz and 5Ghz bands. It also has a 10Gbps WAN port for connecting to your modem or fiber ONT, along with four 2.5Gbps ethernet ports for wiring up your gaming PC and whatnot.

Finally, Asus announced the ROG USB-BE92, an external USB Wi-Fi 7 card. It connects using USB-A or USB-C, and Asus says it should work with Windows 10 or 11 PCs out of the box — just plug it in and go. It’s an easy way to add Wi-Fi 7 to a computer once you’ve upgraded to a Wi-Fi 7 router, unlocking features like MLO for better stability and faster throughput.

Asus didn’t announce any release dates or prices for these devices.

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Photo by Alex Cranz / The Verge

Last year, Amazon launched the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition that could default to displaying owners’ favorite pictures — as long as they paid an extra fee. Now it looks like that plan has been abandoned, with the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition and its accompanying $2 / month PhotosPlus subscription nearly erased from Amazon’s website.
One customer received a message saying the service has been canceled and that Amazon will no longer offer the subscription starting September 23rd.
The PhotosPlus subscription is what owners need to make photos “the primary content you see” on the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition with a slideshow that rotates every 30 seconds. It also offers the ability to show photos “indefinitely,” as other Echo Show displays will replace your photo slideshow with promotions and ads after three hours.

But now that Amazon’s doing away with the subscription, people who paid more for the $159.99 Echo Show 8 Photos Edition won’t get to display their photos more prominently, and the device will essentially become a standard Echo Show 8. Even though Amazon is discontinuing this feature, the company says PhotosPlus users can still access the 25GB of photo and video storage it offered through the subscription.
The Verge reached out to Amazon for more information on why it’s ending the subscription but didn’t immediately hear back.

Photo by Alex Cranz / The Verge

Last year, Amazon launched the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition that could default to displaying owners’ favorite pictures — as long as they paid an extra fee. Now it looks like that plan has been abandoned, with the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition and its accompanying $2 / month PhotosPlus subscription nearly erased from Amazon’s website.

One customer received a message saying the service has been canceled and that Amazon will no longer offer the subscription starting September 23rd.

The PhotosPlus subscription is what owners need to make photos “the primary content you see” on the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition with a slideshow that rotates every 30 seconds. It also offers the ability to show photos “indefinitely,” as other Echo Show displays will replace your photo slideshow with promotions and ads after three hours.

But now that Amazon’s doing away with the subscription, people who paid more for the $159.99 Echo Show 8 Photos Edition won’t get to display their photos more prominently, and the device will essentially become a standard Echo Show 8. Even though Amazon is discontinuing this feature, the company says PhotosPlus users can still access the 25GB of photo and video storage it offered through the subscription.

The Verge reached out to Amazon for more information on why it’s ending the subscription but didn’t immediately hear back.

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Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching a new $29.99 Xbox Adaptive Joystick early next year that’s designed for players with limited mobility. It’s a wired companion for existing Xbox controllers, and includes four buttons, an Xbox thumbstick, and two additional buttons for bumper and trigger controls.
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick allows you to operate a controller without having to use both hands, making it ideal for any players who might have difficulty using the thumbsticks on existing controllers. All the buttons are fully customizable, and there are a variety of 3D printable thumbstick toppers to customize the sizes, heights, and width of thumbsticks.
“From very early on with the adaptive joystick, we had disability community be hands-on with early designs and functional prototypes,” explains Kaitlyn Jones, senior accessibility product manager at Xbox, during a gamescom stream. “Even from a software perspective, we’ve really heard from our players that they’ve wanted an affordable joystick for their adaptive controller, but also something that fits in seamlessly with their existing setup.”

Image: Microsoft
The joystick has four buttons and easy access to an Xbox thumbstick.

You can connect the Xbox Adaptive Joystick to Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller for a full adaptive setup, or you can plug it directly into a PC or Xbox. It can even be mounted, thanks to a threaded insert like you’d find on a camera tripod.
Community feedback played a big role in shaping this hardware. Microsoft visited a hospital in Seattle with a box of prototypes for one particular feedback session. “We got feedback on the grip size, shape, the number of buttons, and where the buttons are located,” says Chris Kujawski, principle designer at Xbox.
Alongside Microsoft’s own Xbox Adaptive Joystick, the company has also revealed a new $59.99 Lite SE controller from 8BitDo that’s also designed for gamers with limited mobility. It has low-resistance buttons and hall effect joysticks, and all the bottons are accessible at the top of the controller.

Image: 8BitDo
8BitDo’s new accessibility controller.

Microsoft has also built a new toggle hold feature for Xbox controllers that’s available to test for Xbox Insiders today. “This new feature is intended to help make using a controller even easier and supports players who have difficulty holding prolonged button presses,” says Microsoft’s gaming accessibility team. “Similar to sticky keys on a computer, assign any button or port on the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox Adaptive Joystick, or Xbox Elite Series 2 controller to stay pressed until pressing again to release.”
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick also comes with improved packaging that’s similar to what Microsoft did with its previous Xbox Adaptive Controller. Microsoft is also improving the accessibility of the packaging for its three new Xbox Series S / X console options that are launching in October.
The Xbox Adaptive Joystick will launch in early 2025 in select Xbox markets worldwide and will be sold exclusively through the Microsoft Store, priced at $29.99.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching a new $29.99 Xbox Adaptive Joystick early next year that’s designed for players with limited mobility. It’s a wired companion for existing Xbox controllers, and includes four buttons, an Xbox thumbstick, and two additional buttons for bumper and trigger controls.

The Xbox Adaptive Joystick allows you to operate a controller without having to use both hands, making it ideal for any players who might have difficulty using the thumbsticks on existing controllers. All the buttons are fully customizable, and there are a variety of 3D printable thumbstick toppers to customize the sizes, heights, and width of thumbsticks.

“From very early on with the adaptive joystick, we had disability community be hands-on with early designs and functional prototypes,” explains Kaitlyn Jones, senior accessibility product manager at Xbox, during a gamescom stream. “Even from a software perspective, we’ve really heard from our players that they’ve wanted an affordable joystick for their adaptive controller, but also something that fits in seamlessly with their existing setup.”

Image: Microsoft
The joystick has four buttons and easy access to an Xbox thumbstick.

You can connect the Xbox Adaptive Joystick to Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller for a full adaptive setup, or you can plug it directly into a PC or Xbox. It can even be mounted, thanks to a threaded insert like you’d find on a camera tripod.

Community feedback played a big role in shaping this hardware. Microsoft visited a hospital in Seattle with a box of prototypes for one particular feedback session. “We got feedback on the grip size, shape, the number of buttons, and where the buttons are located,” says Chris Kujawski, principle designer at Xbox.

Alongside Microsoft’s own Xbox Adaptive Joystick, the company has also revealed a new $59.99 Lite SE controller from 8BitDo that’s also designed for gamers with limited mobility. It has low-resistance buttons and hall effect joysticks, and all the bottons are accessible at the top of the controller.

Image: 8BitDo
8BitDo’s new accessibility controller.

Microsoft has also built a new toggle hold feature for Xbox controllers that’s available to test for Xbox Insiders today. “This new feature is intended to help make using a controller even easier and supports players who have difficulty holding prolonged button presses,” says Microsoft’s gaming accessibility team. “Similar to sticky keys on a computer, assign any button or port on the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox Adaptive Joystick, or Xbox Elite Series 2 controller to stay pressed until pressing again to release.”

The Xbox Adaptive Joystick also comes with improved packaging that’s similar to what Microsoft did with its previous Xbox Adaptive Controller. Microsoft is also improving the accessibility of the packaging for its three new Xbox Series S / X console options that are launching in October.

The Xbox Adaptive Joystick will launch in early 2025 in select Xbox markets worldwide and will be sold exclusively through the Microsoft Store, priced at $29.99.

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Six Super Mario: Mario Kart themed Lego sets will debut on January 1st, 2025. | Image: Lego

After teasing the next expansion of its Super Mario line back in March, today Lego announced the first six Mario Kart sets that will release just after the holidays on January 1st, 2025.
Lego’s Mario Kart collection includes new buildable versions of characters like Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Toad; baby versions of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach; and several kart designs, from motorcycles to flying pirate ships.
There are also green and red shells that can be actually fired from the karts. The new sets are compatible with existing interactive Lego Super Mario figures, with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach playing sound effects like horns or the squeal of a drifting kart’s tires from the Mario Kart games.

The Mario Kart collection includes a 133-piece blue Yoshi on a Yoshi-themed motorcycle, a 174-piece version of Mario’s iconic red kart with Toad in pit crew attire, a 387-piece Donkey Kong at the wheel of a barrel, a 321-piece baby Mario and Luigi battling to pop each other’s balloons, a 390-piece version of Toad’s garage, and a 823-piece grand prix that comes with a starting gate and three karts.
Pricing ranges from $14.99 for the Yoshi Bike set, the smallest of the six, to $79.99 for the Baby Peach and Grand Prix Set which comes with four buildable characters, including baby Peach. Collectors probably won’t want to make any new year’s resolutions about being fiscally responsible starting on January 1st.

Six Super Mario: Mario Kart themed Lego sets will debut on January 1st, 2025. | Image: Lego

After teasing the next expansion of its Super Mario line back in March, today Lego announced the first six Mario Kart sets that will release just after the holidays on January 1st, 2025.

Lego’s Mario Kart collection includes new buildable versions of characters like Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Toad; baby versions of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach; and several kart designs, from motorcycles to flying pirate ships.

There are also green and red shells that can be actually fired from the karts. The new sets are compatible with existing interactive Lego Super Mario figures, with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach playing sound effects like horns or the squeal of a drifting kart’s tires from the Mario Kart games.

The Mario Kart collection includes a 133-piece blue Yoshi on a Yoshi-themed motorcycle, a 174-piece version of Mario’s iconic red kart with Toad in pit crew attire, a 387-piece Donkey Kong at the wheel of a barrel, a 321-piece baby Mario and Luigi battling to pop each other’s balloons, a 390-piece version of Toad’s garage, and a 823-piece grand prix that comes with a starting gate and three karts.

Pricing ranges from $14.99 for the Yoshi Bike set, the smallest of the six, to $79.99 for the Baby Peach and Grand Prix Set which comes with four buildable characters, including baby Peach. Collectors probably won’t want to make any new year’s resolutions about being fiscally responsible starting on January 1st.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Paramount Plus recently raised its prices, and sadly, it’s too late to lock in a subscription at the previous rate. Luckily, in honor of the NFL season opener on September 5th, new and returning subscribers can get 50 percent off an annual subscription to Paramount Plus Essential and Paramount Plus with Showtime through September 6th.

When you do the math, the current discount drops the price of an annual Essential plan to $29.99 (from $59.99), which is like paying $2.50 a month instead of its new monthly rate of $7.99. The same promo drops a year of the ad-free Paramount Plus with Showtime plan down to $59.99 (from $119.99), meaning you’ll essentially be paying $5 monthly instead of the plan’s new monthly rate of $12.99.
Both plans let you livestream select NFL games and grant you access to 24/7 live news with CBS News, UEFA Champions League matches, and — of course — the entire Paramount Plus library. That means you’ll have plenty of movies and TV shows to keep you entertained after the game, including Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek: Picard, Mayor of Kingstown, Yellowstone spinoffs like 1883 and 1923, and Top Gun: Maverick.
The main difference between the two membership tiers is that the pricier Paramount Plus plan also includes Showtime programming (and fewer ads). That means you can also watch Showtime originals like Dexter, Billions, and Yellowjackets as well as movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Talk To Me, and Past Lives. You can also download content to your mobile device for offline viewing, which isn’t possible with a base subscription.

Some additional ways to save today

The Sonos Roam 2 is on sale at its all-time low price of $143 ($36 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Sonos. The sequel to the original Sonos Roam offers a few welcome upgrades, the most important of which is a dedicated button for Bluetooth pairing. The portable smart speaker is also much easier to use out of the box, as Sonos no longer requires that you set it up with the Sonos app on your home Wi-Fi network before using Bluetooth. Read our hands-on impressions.
The standalone Blink Mini 2 is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $29.99 ($10 off) — its second-best price to date — or with a weather-resistant adapter at Amazon for $39.98 ($10 off). The 1080p security camera is an excellent upgrade over its predecessor, with a wider field of view, USB-C support, and better image quality. It also features IP65 weatherproofing, so you can use it to keep tabs on your packages outdoors when combined with the aforementioned weather adapter. Read our review.
You can buy the Google Nest Audio at Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Kohl’s for $49.99 ($50 off), which is one of its lowest prices to date. Although the speaker is nearly four years old, it still manages to deliver robust, clear sound — particularly when paired with a second Nest Audio in stereo mode. You can also still use it to carry out a range of tasks via Google Assistant, allowing you to control a bevy of smart home devices, set alarms, and play music with a simple voice command. Read our review.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Paramount Plus recently raised its prices, and sadly, it’s too late to lock in a subscription at the previous rate. Luckily, in honor of the NFL season opener on September 5th, new and returning subscribers can get 50 percent off an annual subscription to Paramount Plus Essential and Paramount Plus with Showtime through September 6th.

When you do the math, the current discount drops the price of an annual Essential plan to $29.99 (from $59.99), which is like paying $2.50 a month instead of its new monthly rate of $7.99. The same promo drops a year of the ad-free Paramount Plus with Showtime plan down to $59.99 (from $119.99), meaning you’ll essentially be paying $5 monthly instead of the plan’s new monthly rate of $12.99.

Both plans let you livestream select NFL games and grant you access to 24/7 live news with CBS News, UEFA Champions League matches, and — of course — the entire Paramount Plus library. That means you’ll have plenty of movies and TV shows to keep you entertained after the game, including Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek: Picard, Mayor of Kingstown, Yellowstone spinoffs like 1883 and 1923, and Top Gun: Maverick.

The main difference between the two membership tiers is that the pricier Paramount Plus plan also includes Showtime programming (and fewer ads). That means you can also watch Showtime originals like Dexter, Billions, and Yellowjackets as well as movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Talk To Me, and Past Lives. You can also download content to your mobile device for offline viewing, which isn’t possible with a base subscription.

Some additional ways to save today

The Sonos Roam 2 is on sale at its all-time low price of $143 ($36 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Sonos. The sequel to the original Sonos Roam offers a few welcome upgrades, the most important of which is a dedicated button for Bluetooth pairing. The portable smart speaker is also much easier to use out of the box, as Sonos no longer requires that you set it up with the Sonos app on your home Wi-Fi network before using Bluetooth. Read our hands-on impressions.
The standalone Blink Mini 2 is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $29.99 ($10 off) — its second-best price to date — or with a weather-resistant adapter at Amazon for $39.98 ($10 off). The 1080p security camera is an excellent upgrade over its predecessor, with a wider field of view, USB-C support, and better image quality. It also features IP65 weatherproofing, so you can use it to keep tabs on your packages outdoors when combined with the aforementioned weather adapter. Read our review.
You can buy the Google Nest Audio at Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Kohl’s for $49.99 ($50 off), which is one of its lowest prices to date. Although the speaker is nearly four years old, it still manages to deliver robust, clear sound — particularly when paired with a second Nest Audio in stereo mode. You can also still use it to carry out a range of tasks via Google Assistant, allowing you to control a bevy of smart home devices, set alarms, and play music with a simple voice command. Read our review.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Ford is canceling its electric three-row SUV and delaying the launch of a new electric pickup truck until 2027. The Expedition-like SUV had already been delayed to 2027; with its cancellation, the company will now pivot to making new gas and hybrid-powered three-row SUVs.
Ford now says it won’t release any new electric vehicles until it can ensure profitability on the models within the first year of launch and prioritize a new commercial EV van that will begin production in Ohio in 2026.
Ford has struggled to bring its spending on EV production in line with the revenue brought in by its vehicle lineup, which includes the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit van. The company reported a $1.3 billion loss for its Model e EV division in the first quarter of 2024 and a $1.1 billion loss in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, EV sales growth across the industry has slowed down, and automakers of all stripes are reining in expectations about the shift to electric vehicles.
The automaker is reducing capital spending on EVs to 30 percent, down from the previous 40 percent. The canceled electric SUV could potentially cost Ford $1.5 billion in expenses and a special non-cash charge of $400 million.
Ford was also reportedly working on a more affordable EV in one of the automaker’s skunkworks labs, which is still on track. The first vehicle will be a midsize electric truck, not a compact one that had previously been rumored. Ford is also looking to add hybrid powertrain options to its upcoming next-generation Super Duty pickup trucks, similar to the company’s hybrid F-150.
Meanwhile, the expected successor to the F-150 Lightning, known as the T3 truck, will now go into production in late 2027 instead of 2025. According to Ford, “the truck will offer features and experiences never seen on any Ford truck, including upgraded bi-directional charging capability and advanced aerodynamics.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Ford is canceling its electric three-row SUV and delaying the launch of a new electric pickup truck until 2027. The Expedition-like SUV had already been delayed to 2027; with its cancellation, the company will now pivot to making new gas and hybrid-powered three-row SUVs.

Ford now says it won’t release any new electric vehicles until it can ensure profitability on the models within the first year of launch and prioritize a new commercial EV van that will begin production in Ohio in 2026.

Ford has struggled to bring its spending on EV production in line with the revenue brought in by its vehicle lineup, which includes the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit van. The company reported a $1.3 billion loss for its Model e EV division in the first quarter of 2024 and a $1.1 billion loss in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, EV sales growth across the industry has slowed down, and automakers of all stripes are reining in expectations about the shift to electric vehicles.

The automaker is reducing capital spending on EVs to 30 percent, down from the previous 40 percent. The canceled electric SUV could potentially cost Ford $1.5 billion in expenses and a special non-cash charge of $400 million.

Ford was also reportedly working on a more affordable EV in one of the automaker’s skunkworks labs, which is still on track. The first vehicle will be a midsize electric truck, not a compact one that had previously been rumored. Ford is also looking to add hybrid powertrain options to its upcoming next-generation Super Duty pickup trucks, similar to the company’s hybrid F-150.

Meanwhile, the expected successor to the F-150 Lightning, known as the T3 truck, will now go into production in late 2027 instead of 2025. According to Ford, “the truck will offer features and experiences never seen on any Ford truck, including upgraded bi-directional charging capability and advanced aerodynamics.”

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Microsoft’s new Xbox console options will be available worldwide by the end of October. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching three new Xbox Series S / X console options in October. There’s the $449.99 white discless Xbox Series X, a 2TB “Galaxy Black” special-edition Xbox Series X priced at $599.99, and a $349.99 1TB Xbox Series S. All three models will be available in the US on October 15th, with other markets to follow on October 29th.
The white coating on the exterior of this new discless Xbox Series X matches the “robot white” found on the Xbox Series S, Microsoft’s smaller $299 console. While leaks of the white Xbox Series X hinted that Microsoft may upgrade the heatsink used to cool the console, the company hasn’t detailed any hardware changes beyond the removal of the disc drive here.

Image: Microsoft
The white discless Xbox Series X.

Microsoft is now taking preorders for all three of these new Xbox console variants. Microsoft says these consoles “will be available in all current Xbox hardware supported regions and markets,” including a variety of countries across Europe.
All three consoles arrive in time for a busy holiday season for Xbox Game Pass. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is launching in October, followed by Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Microsoft’s new Xbox console options will be available worldwide by the end of October. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching three new Xbox Series S / X console options in October. There’s the $449.99 white discless Xbox Series X, a 2TB “Galaxy Black” special-edition Xbox Series X priced at $599.99, and a $349.99 1TB Xbox Series S. All three models will be available in the US on October 15th, with other markets to follow on October 29th.

The white coating on the exterior of this new discless Xbox Series X matches the “robot white” found on the Xbox Series S, Microsoft’s smaller $299 console. While leaks of the white Xbox Series X hinted that Microsoft may upgrade the heatsink used to cool the console, the company hasn’t detailed any hardware changes beyond the removal of the disc drive here.

Image: Microsoft
The white discless Xbox Series X.

Microsoft is now taking preorders for all three of these new Xbox console variants. Microsoft says these consoles “will be available in all current Xbox hardware supported regions and markets,” including a variety of countries across Europe.

All three consoles arrive in time for a busy holiday season for Xbox Game Pass. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is launching in October, followed by Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

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Photo by Steve Jennings / Getty Images for TechCrunch

After launching remotely during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Nothing has now mandated that its 450 employees will have to come into the company’s London office five days a week. In an email to staffers last week, Nothing CEO Carl Pei suggested that those unable to transition from remote working should leave the company and “find an environment where you thrive.”
Pei’s goal, according to the email he published on LinkedIn, is to improve collaboration and innovation across design, engineering, and manufacturing, which he argues “does not work well remotely.” The new mandate will take effect in two months, and Pei will be accepting live questions about the decision from Nothing staffers during the company’s next town hall meeting.
“Remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed,” Pei said in the email, telling employees who are worried about flexibility that “this is a company for grown ups.”
“I know this is a controversial decision that may not be a fit for everyone, and there are definitely companies out there that thrive in remote or hybrid setups,” he added. “But that’s not right for our type of business, and won’t help us fully realize our potential as a company.”
Return-to-office mandates are hardly unique in this industry. Meta, Amazon, Google, Roblox, and even Zoom have all scaled back their remote working policies following the winding down of pandemic-driven lockdowns, but most of those changes require staff to be in offices for up to three days a week.
By comparison, Nothing’s demand for five-day office attendance may sting for employees who helped shape the company while embracing its founding work-from-home environment. We haven’t found any comments from staffers on the situation, but they may be waiting until the company meeting to voice concerns.

Photo by Steve Jennings / Getty Images for TechCrunch

After launching remotely during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Nothing has now mandated that its 450 employees will have to come into the company’s London office five days a week. In an email to staffers last week, Nothing CEO Carl Pei suggested that those unable to transition from remote working should leave the company and “find an environment where you thrive.”

Pei’s goal, according to the email he published on LinkedIn, is to improve collaboration and innovation across design, engineering, and manufacturing, which he argues “does not work well remotely.” The new mandate will take effect in two months, and Pei will be accepting live questions about the decision from Nothing staffers during the company’s next town hall meeting.

“Remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed,” Pei said in the email, telling employees who are worried about flexibility that “this is a company for grown ups.”

“I know this is a controversial decision that may not be a fit for everyone, and there are definitely companies out there that thrive in remote or hybrid setups,” he added. “But that’s not right for our type of business, and won’t help us fully realize our potential as a company.”

Return-to-office mandates are hardly unique in this industry. Meta, Amazon, Google, Roblox, and even Zoom have all scaled back their remote working policies following the winding down of pandemic-driven lockdowns, but most of those changes require staff to be in offices for up to three days a week.

By comparison, Nothing’s demand for five-day office attendance may sting for employees who helped shape the company while embracing its founding work-from-home environment. We haven’t found any comments from staffers on the situation, but they may be waiting until the company meeting to voice concerns.

Read More